Rapid rise of seas leave half of Venice floundering underwater

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*Perilous Times and Global Warming

Rapid rise of sea leave half of Venice floundering underwater*

ROME, Nov 30 (AFP) Nov 30, 2009

Much of the historic Italian city of Venice, including St. Mark's
Square, was underwater Monday following a meteorological depression
combined with rapidly rising tide waters, officials said.

The tide monitoring centre said 45 percent of the Renaissance city was
swamped when the lagoon rose 131 centimetres (more than four feet).

Venice was flooded 50 times between 1993 and 2002, with the worst 'acqua
alta' on November 4, 1966, when the city was submerged by 1.94 metres of
water amid catastrophic flooding throughout the country.

In February 1986, levels reached 1.58 metres above normal, and in
December 2008 waters surged 1.56 metres.

The city has for years been wrestling with the problems posed by the
threat of rising sea levels. Last year local authorities confirmed they
were looking at a scheme to raise the city's buildings to meet the problem.

Under Operation "Rialto", local officials and engineers were looking at
using piston-supported-poles placed at the bottom of each structure to
lift buildings by up to a metre.

In April 2007, the United Nations cultural organisation UNESCO warned
that Venice was one of its designated World Heritage sites that was
threatened by climate change.